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The Nexus of Pop Culture and the Uncharted UniverseTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:51:09 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=2015.10Minute Physics Explains The Whole Universe In Under Three Minutes [Video]http://www.themarysue.com/minute-physics-the-universe/
http://www.themarysue.com/minute-physics-the-universe/#commentsMon, 18 Feb 2013 14:33:18 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=137781
Never let it be said that the folks at Minute Physics shy away from delving into the really big questions. In the latest episode, the gang takes on the daunting query "What is the Universe?" The answer, predictably, is, like, whoa, man, raising more questions about things like whether we can really know that parts of the Universe we can't observe actually exist, and if concepts like the future or mathematics are part of the universe we live in, or something else entirely. It's a bit of a head trip, but since you've probably got today off anyway, go ahead and ponder the nature of all things great and small from your bed this morning. You've earned it.]]>

Never let it be said that the folks at Minute Physics shy away from delving into the really big questions. In the latest episode, the gang takes on the daunting query “What is the Universe?” The answer, predictably, is, like, whoa, man, raising more questions about things like whether we can really know that parts of the Universe we can’t observe actually exist, and if concepts like the future or mathematics are part of the universe we live in, or something else entirely. It’s a bit of a head trip, but since you’ve probably got today off anyway, go ahead and ponder the nature of all things great and small from your bed this morning. You’ve earned it.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/minute-physics-the-universe/feed/0Physicists Propose Way to Test If Our Universe is a Computer Simulationhttp://www.themarysue.com/reality-simulation-test/
http://www.themarysue.com/reality-simulation-test/#commentsFri, 12 Oct 2012 23:31:43 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=120345
Science may, at long last, have devised a way to answer the question posed by timeless philsopher Freddie Mercury: "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?" A team of physicists at the University of Bonn believe they have a way to test whether or not we're all living in a computer simulation by seeking out the edges of the lattice work that would underlie such a simluation. Which is pretty interesting work except for one thing. If we are living in a simulation, we definitely don't want to know it. Just let us live the lie.]]>

Science may, at long last, have devised a way to answer the question posed by timeless philsopher Freddie Mercury: “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” A team of physicists at the University of Bonn believe they have a way to test whether or not we’re all living in a computer simulation by seeking out the edges of the lattice work that would underlie such a simluation. Which is pretty interesting work except for one thing. If we are living in a simulation, we definitely don’t want to know it. Just let us live the lie.

By looking at the work of other researchers who are trying to create computer simulations of a universe in their own labs, the team looked at the ingredients we think would go into such a phony, one of which is a lattice that would support energy particles that make up the simulation. Those particles would by definition be finite, so if you could find the upper limit of energy that could be represented by particles, it could be taken as a strong hint that we’re all living in a computer simulation.

Of course, if we figured that out, our feeling is the first action our creators would take would be to revert to an earlier save before we knew about the universe being a fraud. So, call it a small victory at best?

The article still offers no hints about how we could tell if our universe might be the evil parallel world of another universe or all just somebody’s dream, but hey, baby steps. Let’s just take the chance to appreciate that, at least in some ways, we still live in a world of mystery. Just whatever you do, don’t give this work to anybody in The Sims. It would no doubt break their little digital hearts. That, or inspire them to rise up out of the computer and take our world for their own in a bloody universal coup.